Shelter

Gardens in Glass: Make Your Own Upcycled Terrarium

Like bell bottoms, leisure suits and The Hustle, terrariums were totally groovin’ in the 70s but seemingly fell off the face of the earth as the clock struck midnight on January 1st, 1980. But if feathered Farrah Fawcett hair can come back, so can these gorgeous gardens in glass – they’re riding a wave of renewed popularity right back into our homes.

What makes the modern-day incarnation of terrariums so very 2010? Upcycling glass containers like mason jars, jelly jars, wine bottles, glass teapots, spice bottles and even light bulbs. There’s virtually no limit to the kind of container that can be used, as long as it’s mostly enclosed.

Terrariums are little worlds within themselves, providing a high humidity environment for plants that might not otherwise survive very long in your home. It may seem strange that plants can live inside glass without constant exposure to air, but when the conditions are right, they actually need very little fresh air. The amount that gets exchanged when you open the lid to water them is enough.

All you need to get started are these materials, many of which you may already have:

Glass container

Activated charcoal (the kind sold at pet shops for aquariums)

Pea gravel

Potting soil

Moisture-loving plants

Decorative stones, moss, or figurines (optional)

Assembling your terrarium is fairly simple. Horticulture expert David Trinklein of the University of Missouri suggests washing your container in hot, soapy water and drying it thoroughly, then lining the bottom with a thin layer of gravel for drainage. Next is a ½ inch layer of activated charcoal, which will filter the air. Add at least 1-½ inches of moist, high quality growing medium rich in organic material and then you’re ready to insert your plants.

For visual interest, choose plants of various heights and colors that all have roughly the same needs. The easiest way to accomplish this? Head out to your backyard and see what you find – moss is a great choice for beginners. Trim off any damaged parts, place the plants in the soil using long tweezers or a stick with a wire loop attached to the end, and gently tamp down the soil. Try to keep the leaves from touching the glass to prevent rot.

Mist the inside of your terrarium and let it sit for a day before misting again. Once the water has evaporated off the leaves, you can cover the container.

Of course, figuring out just how to fit all of these materials and plants into oddly shaped containers like light bulbs and wine bottles can be tricky – there’s an art to it. Check out these tutorials for all the details:

Now, proudly put your terrarium on display in indirect sunlight and get ready to ignore it! The best part about these little glass gardens is that you can have the blackest thumb on the block and still maintain healthy plants with just a spritz of water every now and then. The larger the container opening, the more frequent it will require watering – but closed terrariums may not need water for up to six months.

Hopelessly craft-challenged? You can still get in on the terrarium trend. Handmade goods purveyor Etsy.com has a smorgasbord of terrarium offerings, including the moss terrarium by Greenbriar and light bulb terrariums by Tiny Terra, pictured above.

Post navigation

Take A Peek

I just love when I’m checking out the ingredients of a skincare product and find that it’s practically edible. Yum, I think. It means my skin is gonna eat this stuff up! Enter Pangea Organics, a line of utterly luscious bodycare products that will make your skin rejoice. Check out […]

Since the #30DayOrgasmChallenge launched in September, one thing has become eminently clear: the benefits of orgasm are impossible to ignore. I’ve been totally floored by the response. Over the summer, after a lot of research, myriad in-person conversations and Gchats with friends and colleagues, I realized that there is a […]

In the wake of Target’s cropped-out teen crotch, it’s nice to see some inspiring news in the fashion world. Rick Owens and DKNY cast, ahem, “real people” as runway models in recent fashion shows, and it totally worked. Owens presented his fall 2014 collection in Paris with the help of […]

Today’s Mother’s Day giveaway: this elegant recycled glass terrarium. Beautifying bare surfaces is a cinch with this charming pear-shaped piece. Tillandsia (air plants) are able to thrive on just a little bit of water, so this natural accent is ideal for eco-friendly decorators whose thumbs aren’t quite green. A $79 […]

Back in the day, finding an environmentally-aware college was a tough assignment, but these days the amount of universities with green programs and sustainable energy or food policies courses are in the hundreds. Ferreting out 10 of our favorites was tough, but having so many awesome colleges to choose from […]

I’m no chemist. In fact, I get a little jittery around (and refuse to make eye contact with) the Periodic Table on my son’s closet door. But, given the subject matter here, I must do my best to understand the basic causes surrounding greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on […]

Recently, I discovered “the Aniston syndrome.” And I’m not talking a mid-90s hair flip or Angelina Jolie’s extremely-played-out-imaginary nemesis. It seems a certain smug-section of bloggers have coined “the Aniston syndrome” to refer to careless old women who have dared to put their careers first, only to be suffering barren […]

More in Shelter

What' s Intresting

Costa Verde offers Costa Rica’s most original eco-suite: a vintage airplane in the rainforest. Costa Verde nestles in the rainforest above the Pacific Ocean,next to Manuel Antonio National Park. Like many hotels in Costa Rica,it is low-rise with impressive green credentials. The owner,an ex-Peace Corps volunteer and […]

Let’s shatter a few persistent myths about recycled glass. (Watch your fingers). Myth 1: Glass recycling is a new technology. Only if you define "new" as "in the last two millenia". Glass recycling is a tradition we’re glad to see renewed and made chic. The Romans did it. The Islamic […]

Escape into nature at Cala Mia, a boutique hotel located in the Chiriqui National Marine Park in Panama. Near the Costa Rican border in Panama lies an island destination with a boutique hotel called Cala Mia. With eleven bungalows designed and handcrafted by local artisans, shoes are optional at Cala Mia […]

Felt is, without a doubt, the hottest artisan medium around these days. There’s something about the lush colors, raw wool or silk fibers, and malleable shapes that make felt pieces both cozy and dramatic. Artist Jenne Giles does felt brilliantly, and her Harlequin Feltworks scarves and shawls are collector’s items. […]

According to our calendars, summer is almost over. Kids are returning home from camp, school supplies are being purchased and I’m wondering where the time goes. Want your summer to last forever? The Rolling Summer House may be just what this doctor ordered. It’s a huge spherical structure constructed of […]

For the last 7 months, we’ve been amazed at the creativity behind sustainable furniture design. From retro to cutting-edge, using everything from natural wood to biodegrading synthetic materials and with an abundance of imagination, style, quirk, wit and flair, eco-friendly furniture design is proving anything but predictable. Here’s a selection […]

Christiane Lemieux’s new book Undecorate breaks all the rules. I follow the rules. I don’t park in emergency zones, I wait for my seating section to be called before boarding, and I always sort my recycling. But sometimes I color outside the lines. In fact, I break all social conventions […]

Cleaning hacks to break out when unexpected guests are on their way. This time of year is filled with surprise guests “popping by” or “stopping in” for “just ten minutes,” and if it’s been a while since you gave your place a thorough cleaning, hyperventilating into a paper bag is […]

As recently as 10 years ago, if you said the word “wallpaper” I had visions of orange shag carpeting and my mother on a stepladder with a plastic bucket of gloppy paste. That toxic and tres passe technique would never be found on the walls of my home. But today […]

Porcelained out? Carve your niche with an alternative sink for soaking up greener materials like certified teak, bamboo, recycled metal and glass and friendly painted ceramics. You can even experiment with poured concrete with 50% recycled fly ash, as seen in the striking orange basin by Jeremy Levine Design. Here […]

A crackling fire might be a symbol of domestic warmth and bliss but the pollutants can be so bad for your lungs, some states forbid building open masonry fireplaces in new homes and home remodels. Northern California homeowners like me, with existing brick fireplaces, can’t use them any old time […]

This couple sold their newly bought house and stuff to convert their van into a livable, mobile house pod. And since then, they’ve been living simply. Mat and Danielle, the Canadian Couple behind Exploring Alternatives, converted a van after Mat was in an auto accident. The accident made the couple […]

If you have a taste for the distinctive when it comes to wall décor, you’ll get lost in the intricate forest-inspired theme of the skillfully hand-carved Vine and Leaf panel. Made from monkey pod wood, an environmentally-friendly resource, this gorgeous wall hanging depicts a glossy thicket of nature’s splendor that […]

Why invest in luxury bed linens when any old sheet will do? Because ethically-made bedding is sparking greater equality in the Indian economy. When it comes to spoiling myself, I’m far more likely splurge on a fancy dinner or long weekend than new bed sheets. After all, we’re just sleeping […]

Before branching into bookshelves designed by Oliver Dollé, an old dish-rack will do. Someday… I would love to bring this branch-inspired bookshelf by French designer Oliver Dollé into my studio. It is composed of over 80 pieces of birch plywood and veneered oak wire. Both functional and sculptural, the shelf […]

Make extra money to avoid spiraling into debt during the holidays. Here’s how. ‘Tis the season for being merry and bright. And broke. If you’re looking to earn extra coin for that hefty holiday shopping list without cutting into your Shondaland lineup, look no further. Here are 11 ways you […]

Rasai Jaipur’s sleeping cubes offer elegant minimalism in a vibrant country. India’s north-western region of Rajasthan is known for its (literally) colorful characters: women in emerald-green and vermillion saris and moustachioed men with saffron-yellow turbans, standing out like jewels against the dry landscape. Its capital city, Jaipur, is replete with palaces and […]

Color evokes emotion, and emotion inspires color. If you enter a room with black-painted walls, do you imagine your mood being markedly different had you entered the same room, but with bright blue walls? Meanwhile, do you find that your mood affects what color clothing you wear on any given […]

Before they’re gone, celebrate warm summer evenings with friends. Decorate your garden with these easy-to-make veneer globes and throw a party. Looking for an unique yet simple party decoration for your next garden party? These veneer globes will do the trick. Decorate them in different ways to match any occasion, […]

How streamlined is your recycling system? The Zero Waste Challenge continues, daring you to trash your trash can. Give yourself a pat on the back for all the wonderful things you’ve done so far to reduce your landfill waste. In April you took a bin audit, from which you created your […]

Posts navigation

What's New

Before summer disappears completely, maybe it’s time to plan a trip to Europe. When you stay in one of these luxurious European eco spa resorts, you’ll never need a “vacation from your vacation”. Perfectly situated to explore Europe’s most beloved regions from Tuscany to Spain’s Costa Blanca, imagine coming back from […]

Even with so many natural and organic skincare brands existing, it’s tempting to try them all until you finally find the brand that creates the formula you never knew you needed. A few all-natural, safe-ingredient-packed brands dominate the buzz these days, but that doesn’t mean other skincare companies aren’t out […]

If all U.S. households installed low-flow fixtures with water-saving features, the result would be an estimated savings of 5.4 billion gallons of water per day, according to DrinkTap.org. And with 38.8 million California residents in the midst of what may equate to being the worst drought in history, every drop […]

I have been in a few situations where I haven’t had a wine bottle opener, but I really needed to open a bottle of wine. (And I really wish this video would have existed back then.) Refinery29 made a video that shows three ways you can open a wine bottle […]

This tiny digital device offers a breath of fresh air, literally. Instead of tracking how many steps you took this morning, it tracks air pollution and air quality in your immediate vicinity. Clip it onto your collar or a pocket on your backpack and it takes into account air pollution caused by smog […]

Posts navigation

Hot Right Now

Signs you might be taking the whole single life thing a little too far. The single life is awesome—the freedom, the endless amounts of “me time,” the fact that wearing pants is no longer mandatory—but there comes a time in every single woman’s life where she starts picking up “single […]

As a kid, I watched a lot of those PBS National Geographic type shows that visited Indigenous cultures around the world. And I always got knots in my stomach when the camera panned over topless women with elongated sagging breasts. It wasn’t the esthetics of it—I was too young to […]

EcoSalon’s Made In America Box features items that are made right here in the U.S.A! July is an all-around patriotic month here in the states, so join your fellow eco-friendly patriots with a box of products worth $494.85, for just $129 + free shipping! You see it everywhere: The […]

Science says men who clean the house have less sex. Here’s why science can suck it. Back in the day—okay, 2013—a study came out that said men who do more chores around the house have less sex than husbands who don’t clean the house as much. (Can I meet the […]

There are a lot of loaded words falling out of people’s mouths these days. Many of these words are gendered and their traditional definitions are awful. Since society is changing… slowly… very slowly… I think it’s time to put a positive spin on these words. I mean, they obviously aren’t […]